So Cold
by Madvy
Summary: COMPLETE. A oneshot, song fic that takes place during the TMNT episode, Same as It Never Was. I rated it T, just in case any of the action seems a little too intense for some of our younger readers.
1. Part I

Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles or any other characters that appear in "Same as It Never Was." In fact, I don't own the episode at all. I'm just using it for good story. I also don't own the song "So Cold" either. The episode "Same as It Never Was" as well as all the characters that appear in it, are owned by MIRAGE and a bunch of other folks at 4Kids TV, while "So Cold" is the property of Breaking Benjamin.

Author's Note: I just recently saw one of the newest episodes of the current TMNT show: "Same as It Never Was." Without giving too much away yet, I'd say it was their darkest episode yet, even more so than the episodes where Leo got hurt. But I'm getting off subject. Anyway, the entire time I was watching that episode, I kept thinking of Breaking Benjamin's song, "So Cold," but I had no idea why. So after the show, I went through and listened to the lyrics and realized that that song gave a very plausible explanation of the way the characters were feeling throughout the episode. That song inspired me to write this quick, one-shot story of what may have been going on in Donatello's head as he wondered through the world of "Same as It Never Was." This story is something of an extended version of the episode (I personally felt that the episode went by WAY too fast, but hey, they only have a half-hour, so what are you going to do?) This was a challenging write because not only is Donnie not my favorite turtle, (Leo is) but I find him to be the most difficult to write for. His rarely expressed emotions and usual techno talk never cease to flabbergast me. However, I decided to try this story out anyways since I'm dealing more with emotions, rather than technical explanations. But if I screw up, I'd like to apologize in advance if I upset any of the Donatello fans out there. I just thought it might be interesting to try a story from the point of view of one of my lesser favorite turtles. It really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

**_WARNING:_** This story might be a bit difficult to understand to all those who have NOT seen "Same as It Never Was." I will be working in between the action of the episode, after all. But I have included the dialogue from the actual episode to provide some clarity for those who missed the episode, and I will try to give as accurate an explanation of the action and settings as possible. But, if you would prefer to watch the episode, you'll just have to wait until it's repeated on TV. If all goes according to schedule in the U.S., "Same as It Never Was," should be repeated on the Cartoon Network something during the firstweek of April. Good luck! I hope everybody catches it because it's a great episode. All right, I've blabbed on WAY too much. I'm sure you're all anxious to get to my one-shot song fic. (Just had to get some important info across first is all.)

Last note: This episode is a follow up to "Time Travails." If you didn't see that episode, here's the stuff you need to know: The turtles and a time mistress named Renet travel to the year 1406 by using the time scepter of Lord Simultaneous (a lord of time and space.) There, the guys discover what happened to the Ultimate Ninja and Drako after they fell into that time rift back in "The Big Brawl" saga. Their bodies drifted for millennia over time and space and were fused together into one hideous being. The two villains steal the time scepter and disappear. The turtles get back with Lord Simultaneous' help, but are left wondering when the Ultimate Drako will return for his revenge. As you can see, missing any of these episodes will certainly make it difficult to understand my story. But nonetheless, you can read it anyway. I still hope you all enjoy it!

_Italics _will be the dialogue of the episode. I recorded the show and have watched this episode repeated times, so rest assured-the dialogue is EXACTLY how it is spoken in "Same as It Never Was."

**_Italics and bold _**will be the lyrics to "So Cold."

Regular type will be descriptions, as well as the characters' thoughts and feelings throughout the story.

Try not to get too confused, but I figured this would be the easiest way to help those who haven't seen the episode understand what's going on. Now, on with the story! And as always, GOD BLESS:)

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"So Cold"

By Madvy

**Part I**

Far away, in a world distant from ours, a crowd of people walked dejectedly in the pouring rain. There clothes were dark and dirty, their faces solemn. The appeared as ghosts, with hopeless faces that were weak and hearts that were broken. Though New York City was experiencing another downpour, this did not stop the giant screens that were plastered on the buildings from lighting up. The people stopped and stared, as the symbol of the Foot appeared on the screens.

A female's voice (Karai, if you'd like to know) suddenly spoke out and brought the attention of the walking corpses to the TV's. _"Attention servants of the Shredder. Your lord and master will now address you."_

The Shredder's masked face soon filled the TV image. _"For those of you still living under the illusion that you will have freedom, know this."_ Images flashed as the Shredder continued speaking. Around the viewers, the screens continued to broadcast the Shredder's message, while a blimp circled the skies; it had a screen on it too. Formations of robots patrolled the air, making sure that everyone was listening to their master's message. _"My armies have exterminated the last pockets of resistance and I now control the entire planet."_ A battlefield was shown with thousands of Karai bots (like the three from "The New Blood") marching in formation. They plowed over anything on the cracking ground, smashing skulls along the way and firing their guns. Above them, shell cases rained as more robots flew in the atmosphere, destroying anything that wasn't metal. _"The traitorous Utrom scientists I have captured are completing a colossal transmat device."_ Another image appeared, showing Utroms in a darkened room, working on control board. _"With it, I will send forth my armies and enslave the stars, one world after another."_ A picture of an enormous transmat illuminated the screen. Hundreds of tanks, weapons, and soldiers were being loaded onto the platform. Shredder's head suddenly hoarded the screen once more. _"There is no hope. There is only the Shredder."_

As the Shredder finished, Karai's voice came over the speakers once more. _"Remember, the Shredder is always watching."_ With the announcement over, the people mournfully went back to saddling through the rain.

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(Theme song…)

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It was another typical day in the turtles' lair. Leo was practicing the falling rain kata with Splinter observing. Mickey was busy reading his comics on the living room couch. Raph was another room with Casey, working on his new motorcycle.

Don, meanwhile, was speaking with April over his computer. On one side of the screen, a list of calculations rolled past. April's face appeared on the other side.

_"Donnie, it's hard to believe you actually traveled through time like that," _said April.

_"I know April, its wild isn't it?"_ Don said through his portable headphone set. _"But it really was the year 1406, and we were there. All because of the time scepter." _

_"Well, anything's possible. I think Uncle Augie's artifact taught me that."_ (from "April's Artifact)

_"I know. I was going over some of your uncle's calculations and-" _Don was suddenly cut off when the ground began to shake violently. _"I think we're having an earthquake!"_ he screamed.

Don looked back at April's now fuzzy face. _"Nothing's happening over here…"_ The audio was quickly lost as the computers started blowing out. Don yelped and left away from his chair.

Suddenly, the water in the center of the lair began to rise as sparks speckled from the top of wall of water. The water receded to leave a sizzling circle in the air that burned bright above the guys' heads.

From his spot in the middle of the lair, Leo asked, _"Master Splinter, what's going on?" _

Don quickly came over to the couch. _"We've seen that kind of energy before." _

The circle opened up and a huge, monstrous creature dropped out of it. It unfolded its cape and wings to reveal the hideous form of Ultimate Draco.

Splinter gasped. _"Draco!" _

_"And the Daimyo's son," _stated Leonardo. _"This is what we told you about Master Splinter. They merged somehow, combined together." _

Raphael appeared at the entrance to the room he had been in. Shielding his eyes, he said, _"All into one ugly package." _

_"We told you we would return," _gloated Draco and the Daimyo's son. _"We told you were would have our revenge." _

_"Revenge this, wackbag!" _screamed Raph as he drew his sais and leapt towards Ultimate Draco. The villains used the time scepter to freeze the turtle in midair. They then grabbed him and thrust him across the room. Raph hit one of the columns in the lair and dropped to the floor, bringing a Home Sweet Sewer sign with him.

_"As if you could simply fight us; we control time and space. With Lord Simultaneous' time scepter, we are unbeatable!" _

Hoping for a possible opening, Don yelled, _"Someone quick! Grab the-"_ All four turtles and Master Splinter leaped into the air towards the two villains.

Don was cut off as Ultimate Draco immediately froze the five like they had Raph only a few seconds before. _"Now we will have our vengeance." _

The Ultimate Ninja leaned his head towards the frozen Leo. _"Leonardo-destroy him first." _

But the Drako head objected. _"No, we agreed-the rat first, then the Daimyo, your father." _

_"Then Leonardo," _spoke the Daimyo's son.

The villains gleamed. _"They will all pay, all of them. Yes, all of them will learn the meaning of suffering, beyond time and space…"_

Don watched paralyzed as the two weaved the time scepter around. It lit up as they twirled a sparkling blue wave that flowed from it. The wave whirled around them, until it hit the turtles. Don gasped as a white light overtook him. 'This is gonna' hurt!' he thought.

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The purple bandana turtle quickly found himself falling through the air, until he landed his a piled heap on the floor. Righting himself quickly, he twirled his bo staff around, expectantly Ultimate Drako's attack to come at any moment. But as the dust settled, Don got his first look at his new surroundings.

He was still in the lair, but this was a different form of his home. The walls were fractured and broken. Bricks lay in every corner. Debris lined the walls, while weeds grew through the cracks. To Donnie, the lair looked as if it had been massacred. But the worst part was that the entire lair was silent. Gasping, he wondered if anyone else was around. Bewildered, he called out for his family. _"Master Splinter? Master Splinter! Leo! Raph! Mikey! Anybody!" _With worry beginning to consume him, he pushed down a fragile section of one wall, and walked into the warehouse. _"The entire lair is trashed, even the warehouse."_ Spying a large object, he turned._ "Uh, the tunneled still looks like it's in one piece. But this place feels likes it's been abandoned for years." _More confused than before, he stepped through another hole, and found himself outside. _"None of this makes any sense," _he said. Looking around, Don took a quick note of the surface world.

The sky was dark, as smoke blocked out the sun. The warehouse's windows were smashed in, while its walls were porous beyond compare. The surface world wasn't any better than the lair. Debris littered the streets. Fences were torn down and huge factories rose up throughout the city. His new surroundings reminded Donnie of what the world of the Matrix looked like after the war with the machines had begun.

The silence was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a helicopter's engine. The flying machine appeared in the sky and shone a spotlight over Don, temporarily blinding him. A line of tans showed up and men in black trench coats and gas masks piled out with machine guns. Though he could barely see them, Donnie thought that they more or less like soldiers from some old World War II film, except that instead of aiming their guns at some unseen enemy, the men were pointing their weapons at him.

A soldier's voice rose up over the roar of the helicopter. _"Attention citizen! Place your hands in the air and drop you weapons! Repeat hands up and drop your weapons!"_

Utterly confused, Don did as he was told and raised his hands into the air of the spotlight. 'I don't get it,' he thought. 'Why are they doing this? I haven't done anything wrong? Are they going to arrest me? I don't even know who they are.'

As the soldiers came closer, Don glimpsed the upper portion of one soldier's arm. The familiar red symbol of the Foot was painted across it. Instantly realizing that these men meant trouble, Don pulled out his bo staff and took up a defensive position.

But before the soldiers could get any closer, three shurikin landed in front of them. Looking up, they spotted a shadow far above them. A soldier's voice rang out, _"On the roof! Get a light on him! Fire! Open fire!"_ The helicopter thrust its spotlight up the side of the warehouse, as the soldiers took aim at the shadow. But before any shots could find their mark, the mysterious person jumped and sprinted along the side of the roof. It ran along the edge, hoped off, and hit the ground rolling. It then proceeded to jump into an old, beat up car, all while still avoiding gunfire. Don stared, amazed, at how flexible and swift the shadow was. The gunmen shot at the car, while two jumped onto the roof and blasted the metal cover in. After a couple seconds of spitting bullets, the gunmen stopped and observed their work. Then, out of no where, the hood of the car opened up, spewing the two soldiers off the car. The mysterious shadow leapt out and over the gunmen, then whipped out a weapon of some sort. Using it, he knocked the guns out the men's' hands and kicked them off to the side.

Don stared, memorized, at the shadow. At first, he had no idea who his new savior could be, or why he was even helping him in the first place. But as he watched the shadow fight, something familiar about the way it moved and twirled its weapon struck him as oddly familiar. It was when the shadow knelt down in front of him to knock another guy out, that Don realized who the shadow was. The creature was wielding a nunchachu; Don knew only one person who could use a nunchuck like that._ "Mikey!"_ he gasped.

The creature disposed of the last few gunmen, tossing them into the rotted car, and deposited his weapon in a side pocket. The helicopter's spotlight tried once more to highlight the shadow, and nearly succeeded. Don caught a glimpse of the familiar shape of one of his brothers, as well as a faded orange mask. But the shadow quickly cart wheeled out of the spotlight, grabbed a gun, and shot at the helicopter, until it finally went down, exploding a couple of blocks away. The shadow dropped the gun lifelessly.

Approaching with relief, Don said, _"Mikey, am I glad to see you." _

But the returning voice didn't sound as thrilled to see its brother. _"So, it's really you. You came back."_ With that said, the shadow finally revealed itself.

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(Commercial)

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Don was astounded. Michelangelo, his lively and always optimistic brother, was indeed standing before him. But this was not the same Mikey that Don had grown up with. No, this Michelangelo was the near opposite of the one Don was so used to. This Mikey looked war torn and beaten. He was older and showed the dark scars of fights long past. His skin was darker and he looked dirty. His mask was no longer a bandana, but covered the entire top half of his head, like their masks had been back when they were kids. His voice was deeper, more mature, and far more serious than the voice of the Mikey of Don's world. But the most outlandish feature on the turtle was the fact that he was missing the bottom half of his left arm.

With bulging eyes, Don gasped once more. He cried, _"Mikey…your…your arm. What happened to your arm?" _

Mike glanced at his stump of a left arm, but quickly turned his attention back to his brother. _"You're the one who's got some questions to answer. Where the shell have you been all these years?" _

Flabbergasted, Don replied, _"All these years?" _

_"You've been gone over 30 years Donatello." _

_"30 years?"_ Don was stunned. _"I can't be." _

_"Can be and is."_ The older turtle paused. _"We thought you were dead. How the shell could you just abandon us like that!" _he cried.

Don took a step back. Such a random outburst from Mike was not something he was expecting. _"I didn't. I'd never abandon you guys. One minute we were all in the lair together, the next minute, I woke up here. I don't know how." _

_"So, the turtle with the big brain finally doesn't have all the answers. Who'd a thunk it?"_ Mikey's temperament suddenly changed. Acting as if he had just gotten a whiff of something suspicious, he backed into the shadows. _"But we can't talk here. Come on!"_

Taking off, the two began a trek across the rooftops as Don started to receive the full intake of the world he now occupied.

**_Crowded streets are cleared away, one by one… _**

Don looked around him as the two leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Like he had observed before, the city was full of factories. The rising monsters polluted the air with black, choking smoke, while fire burned from the tops of others. Though it was daytime, the world was shady because the sun could not break the solid boundary of filth that infected the metropolis like a virus. Horrid oriental buildings with the Foot symbol on them lined every corner and only added to the wretchedness of the landscape. Most of the other buildings had fallen into decay, with broken windows and walls that appeared like they would collapse at any moment's notice. Tanks paraded down the streets with searchlights as they inspected the land, looking for anyone who happened to stray outside, while robots scrutinized the city from the sky.

A huge blimp with a giant screens on every side overlooked the urban neighborhoods. From it, came a voice that Don recognized as Karai's. _"Serve the Shredder. He is your lord and master. Serve the Shredder and live."_ The voice soon faded into oblivion.

The turtles continued to jump across the rooftops. After hearing the female's message, hurried thoughts began swimming through Donatello's mind. 'Serve the Shredder?' he thought. 'Why would anyone want to do that? Doesn't everyone know how evil he is?' Glancing about, Don saw the Shredder's face plastered onto screens that filled every available space of the buildings. 'Something terrible must have happened to this city for the Shredder to have this must control over everyone. But what?'

By now, the duo had reached a grate that had steam coming from underneath it. As Mike lifted the covering, Don asked, _"Where are we going Mikey?" _

_"I'm takin' you to Master Splinter," _answered the orange clad turtle.

Hopefully, Don asked, _"Are Leo and Raph with him?" _

Mikey's attitude suddenly changed. He stared up at Don with glaring eyes. _"You kiddin'?"_ he snapped. _"Leo and Raph aren't with anybody anymore."_

Surprised by his brother's statement, Don followed Mike underground.

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Karai's voice rang out once more. _"Beware what you do. The Shredder is watching-always watching." _

Near a statue of the Shredder, a manhole cover was lifted off of the ground and laid aside. Donatello emerged as gave a quick look around. _"Where are all the people?" _

_"You mean the ones that survived?" _asked Mike. The brothers left the street and entered the remains of a park. They ran through the dead, black bark trees as Mike began his explanation. _"They're forced to work eighteen hour days in the Shredder's labor camps. No one's allowed out at night." _

By now, Mike had stopped at a bush and was peering through the leafless sticks to make sure the coast was still clear. Seizing an opportunity, Don asked another question that had been burning in his head during the entire trek to the park. _"What happened between Leo and Raph?" _he asked.

_"Let's just say they got in a big fight a long time ago," _replied Mikey glumly. Confident that no one else was around, he took off running again, with Donatello right behind him.

But just as Don was beginning to catch up with Mike, something strange happened. Don felt a tingling sensation swept through his body and watched as he began to go into flux. His body was fazing in and out; like an image on TV went you can't get good reception. _"What the shell?" _he wondered aloud. But as soon as the sensation has started, it was gone. Shaking off the mysterious feeling, he put the experience in the back of his mind and ran after Mike.

Slowing down, Mike continued his flashback story. _"When you never came back Donnie, well, everything just fell apart. We were a team. Without you, it just didn't work."_ Mike paused at a tree and peaked his head around the other side. _"Guess we really needed that level head of yours." _

**_Hollow heroes separate, as they run… _**

They walked a few more steps until Mike stopped once more. Curious, Don asked, _"Master Splinter?" _

_"He's over there,"_ said Mike, pointing a finger. Following his indication, Don was horrified by what he saw.

A circle of crumpled fence surrounded a small area of weeded dirt. In its center stood a stake which had a wooden walking stick leaning up against it. SPLINTER was carved vertically down the stake's front.

Don flinced. _"No."_ He walked over to the grave and collapsed on the ground. _"Master Splinter is…no!"_ He punched a light hole in the ground, as he felt his body begin to shake.

**_You're so cold; keep your hand in mine. _**

Mike came up behind his brother. Watching Donatello, Mike began to feel the same grief he had felt so many years ago. _"Master Yoshi used to bring him here to the park, back in the day. It's not the safest place, but it's where sensei wanted to be buried." _

**_Wise men wonder, while strong men die! _**

Through tear stained eyes, Don barely uttered, _"H...how?" _

_"A couple of years after you disappeared, Master Splinter gave his life protecting the three of us." _

Don felt his legs nearly give out under him as he stood up. _"I can't believe this place. It's all…so horrible." _

Mike huffed. _"You'll get used to it. Besides, what can you do? It's the way it is." _

**_Show me how it ends; it's alright! _**

Don felt his grief and urge for revenge suddenly burst to life inside him. _"It's not the way it was. Maybe I can't change the past, but that doesn't mean there isn't a way to change the present." _He turned back to Mikey. _"We've got to face the Shredder, and take him down." _

Mike sighed. _"We tried-too many times." _

**_Show me how defenseless you really are… _**

_"We're going to try again Mikey." _

_"You got a plan?" _

**_Satisfied and empty inside… _**

_"I'm working on it, but we're going to need Leo and Raph." _

_"That's a tall order Donnie. But I think I know somebody who can help." _

**_But that's alright; let's give this another try. _**

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To be continued...

(Bum, bum, bum!I know, I'm evil right? But don't worry, the next part is already posted, so you don't have to play the horrid waiting game. So...what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get to the second half of "Same as It Never Was!")


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: I still don't own "Same as It Never Was" or any of the characters in it. MIRAGE owns the turtles and their friends and enemies, while 4Kids TV owns the episode itself. As it always will be, Breaking Benjamin owns the rights to the song, "So Cold." Please don't try to file any lawsuits against me, because you won't get very much.

Author's Note: I decided to cut this story into two parts, because it turned out to be much longer than I expected it to be. I really don't care which part you leave me some reviews on, just leave me some sort of feedback please. I really enjoyed writing this and I put a lot of hard work and effort into it. Please let me know that I didn't do it all in vain. Anyway, I hope that every one enjoys the rest of my story. Take care everybody and GOD BLESS:)

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"So Cold"

By Madvy

**Part II**

Later, at an old crumpled building with walls that were barely still standing, the last rebel group was making preparations.

A group of men were sitting at a long table with headsets. One man was giving instructions over a p.a. system. _"Resistance team seven, this is Ops-proceed with to target."_

Next to them, an aged woman was studying a large map that lay flatten out on a table. A young boy no older than thirteen approached her. The woman handed the young troop a piece of paper. _"Take this to Angel. Her commandos will have to destroy that fuel dump before it gets moved on Friday."_

The troop saluted. _"Yes sir!"_

Mikey suddenly spoke out behind the female. _"Yo, rebel leader! Look what the cat dragged in."_

The woman turned and even through her aged features, Don recognized her. _"April!"_ he cried.

"_Donatello!"_ spoke the turtle's oldest friend. _"You came back."_ She hugged him. _"Splinter always said you would. Casey, too."_

Glad to see another familiar face, Don chuckled. _"Where is Case? That big bonehead."_

But instead of an answer, Don was greeted with looks of sadness; April looked off to the side. Confused, Don followed her gaze and spied a picture of Casey on the wall. It was hanging in a shadow and had a ribbon tied to it. Seeing the memorial, Don felt even more pain well up inside him as he realized yet another one of his family members was gone forever.

Then, another recognizable voice spoke from the darkness. _"Well, well, well. Donatello." _A wheelchair rolled up from the shadows and stopped in front of the three.

At the sound of the voice, Don's senses instinctively went on alert. _"What the?" _He pulled out his bo staff and prepared for battle.

The voice continued. _"Looking younger than ever. And how do we look?"_ The wheelchair's occupants came into view. In it sat a very aged Hun. His head was bald, and what hair he had left was white. He looked incredibly weak and tired. Connected by tubes to his chest was Stockman's one eyed brain in its usual container. Seeing Don's haunted expression, Stockman continued. _"Just another one of The Shredder's apropos punishments."_ The brain turned to Hun. _"Don't be impolite Hun. Say hello."_

"_Greetings Donatello,"_ said Hun. Don was almost tempted to feel sorry for Hun. He sounded so miserable. But pity wasn't about to stop him from fighting the two. Past experience had taught him to always be on guard whenever Hun or Stockman was around.

But April came up and put her hand on his. Reassuringly, she said, _"Relax, Donnie. They're on our side now. We saved them from being executed about five years back."_

"_This life is worse,"_ mumbled Hun. _"I wish I'd been put out of my misery."_

"_And I wish that you had been put out my misery, you miserable misanthrope," _snapped Stockman.

Ignoring the two, Don walked over to Casey's picture and stared at it for a second. He had a look of sheer determination on his face when he turned around. _"April, there's got to be a way to end all this. Can you get Leonardo and Raphael to meet me?"_

"_I can try," _said April.

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Not far away, Shredder's pyramid-like palace stood firm. Inside, a woman was walking towards a huge door that had two Chinese dragons painted on them.

The white haired woman bowed and began to speak. _"My lord, I have news."_

Behind the door, a huge clawed shadow moved. _"Speak Karai," _it ordered.

"_Our enforcers were involved in a skirmish near the turtle's old lair. Sensors have identified the attacker. It is the turtle, Donatello."_

"_So, the prodigal son had returned. Excellent," _gloated the shadow. _"I want Donatello's head brought before me-with or without his body."_

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(Commercial)

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In the sky, the blimp passed over the moon lit city. A capped figure appeared outside the rebel's base. It stared at the ruins before running inside. Peering through a hole in the wall, the turtle paused before jumping through. He pulled out his solitary sword and listened for any suspicious sounds.

A soft thump behind him caused him to whip around at the source of the noise. _"What the shell are you doing here?"_ spoke the invading being.

Relaxing slightly, the coated turtle lowered his sword. _"Raph? April's guys didn't say anything about you bein' here."_

Raph wasn't vexed by his brother's unwelcoming tone. _"Oh, what's the matter Leo? I remind ya how we made us abandon Master Splinter, when he needed us most!" _He stomped towards Leo, prodding his sibling with a finger.

Shooing off Raph's hand, Leo responded, _"It's what he wanted Raph: to save us. If we had gone back there, we would have all been destroyed!"_

Enraged, Raph yelled, _"We coulda saved him!"_

"_You know we couldn't! He was gone."_

Growling, Raph pushed Leo away. _"Uh…no!"_

Backing off, Leo took up a defensive position. _"Alright Raph. I'm through talking. Let's settle this once and for all!" _He raised his katana high above his head and prepared to fight Raph for the last time.

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Don watched his brothers from the shadows. He was amazed at how much Leo and Raph had changed over the years.

Leo was the more battle weary of the two. He bore long scars that ran parallel along his plastron, arms, and legs. He wore a long black trench coat and gloves that covered his hands. His face was the most scarred. It had a group of huge scars on his head and one that ran over his eyes. It appeared like it had been delivered during a brutal fight. Whatever sharp weapon that had provided those blows had done more damage than just leave battle marks. Leo's bandana was gone. It had been replaced by eye patches that covered both his eyes, displaying his inherent blindness. But despite his handicap, Leo still seemed to have retained his innate sense of awareness of his surroundings.

Raph looked to be in slightly better shape. He wore a heavy, leather jacket and his hands were gloved like Leo's. Though he had scars as well, they were smaller and far less as numerous as the ones on Leo's body. He still wore his red bandana, but his left eyehole was stitched together, signifying that he had only one good eye available.

'Ironic,' thought Don. 'Raph was always the one to go looking for trouble and to wind up in skirmishes. I'm surprised that he isn't as beat up as Leo is. On the other hand, whenever Leo was involved in a fight, he always walked away with deeper cuts than the rest of us and a horde of bruises. Realistically, his fights usually end up being more brutal than Raph's.' Don smiled to himself. 'Raph was always better at keeping the bloodshed to a minimum, even his own.'

His thoughts were suddenly disturbed when he heard his brother's voices rise. He looked on as the two performed one of their ritual arguments, yet was stunned when he heard Leo say how he was ready to finish their fight once and for all. He watched, petrified, as his brother raised his sword to begin the battle. Don knew if he didn't interfere, their fight could become bloody very quickly. He jumped from his observing spot, whipped out his bo staff, and knocked the two competitors backward. Neither one was expecting a blow to the stomach, so they fell easily to the floor.

"_Uh?" _panted Leo as he raised his head.

Raph growled as he glanced up at his attacker, but gasped when he saw who it was. _"What?"_

Don stood transfixed between the two, holding his staff firmly in one hand. Don knew he would have to be as serious as he could to get the two other turtles to listen to him. _"Leo. Raph. We need to talk."_ He stored his bo, and helped his siblings to their feet.

**_If you find your family, don't you cry…_**

With utter joy overcoming him, Raph embraced his brother. _"Donnie?"_ He grabbed Don in a big bear hug. _"No way!"_

"_Donatello," _said Leo. _"You're back. I don't believe it."_

"_Believe it," _said Mike, as he and April joined the trio of reptiles. _"And brainiac here wants to go up against the Shredder."_

"_We've already tried it Donnie," _sighed Leo. _"How do you think we lost Casey?"_

**_In this land of make believe, dead and dry._**

"_The Shredder's palace is surrounded by an army of Foot police," _said Raph.

"_And Utominators," _replied Leo.

"_And Karai legions," _Raph added.

"_You can't even get inside to fight him,"_ said Leo.

Hun and Stockman wheeled into the hallway. _"And if you could, you couldn't beat him,"_ stated the scientist. _"The Shredder's new exo-suit is stronger than ever. I should know. I designed it."_

"_It's impossible," _Leonardo sighed.

"_Can't be done Donnie. It's hopeless," _concluded Raphael.

**_You're so cold, but you feel alive…_**

Hearing so many depressing statements was beginning to frustrate Donatello. _"I don't know what happened to you guys, but the turtles I knew believed that nothing was ever hopeless."_ Don changed his tone of voice to a more pleading one. _"Please," _he begged as he put his hands on Leo and Raph's shoulders, _"We can do this!"_

**_Lay your hands on me, one last time!_**

Leo and Raph looked at one another for a moment, then smiled and shook hands.

"_Alright Donnie," _sighed Leo. _"We'll do it one more time. But please, tell me we have a fighting chance."_

"_I've been working up a plan. Do we have any hardware? Exo-suits? Anything?"_

"_Well, we captured a Karai legion-bot that Doctor Stockman has been modifying," _stated April.

"_Good, that's a start," _said Don. _"And there's something we'll need from the lair."_

"_The lair?"_ questioned Raph. _"It got wasted years ago."_

"_Not all of it," _Don said.

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A short time later, Karai approached the doors with a huge shadow behind them once more. Bowing, she stated, _"Master, the Utrom slaves have finished building the transmat. It will be operational in two hours."_

"_Excellent," _spoke the sinister voice.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, as the tunneler burst through the floor. Karai whirled around and drew her sword. The tunneler's door opened up and a staircase unfolded itself.

"_Who dares!" yelled the Shredder._

From out of the machine's inner darkness, Michelangelo came busting out, followed by Leonardo and Raphael. Suddenly, a huge mechanical hand gripped the opening, as an oversized robot burst out of the tunneler. It shook the ground slightly as it landed in the palace's main room.

"_Can the Shredder come out and play?" _called Don. He was situated in the middle of the robot. Don had taken Stockman's modified Karai legion-bot and dressed the machine to his preferences. The Matrix trilogy had always been his favorite series of movies, so he had designed the robot to look and function like one of the bots that the soldiers of Zion had used in their final battle with the machines in the last movie. It had two large guns on its back, with clawed front hands and sturdy feet.

However, the Shredder was not vexed by Donnie's new toy. He had his own weapon of mass destruction that he was dying to unleash on his long-standing enemies. _"So, the turtles have reunited," _he sneered. Karai moved aside, as the huge doors opened and the Shredder stepped out in his full glory. His small Utrom body was attached to the head of an enormous exo-suit that had twice as many and twice as long claws on it. The suit was so heavy with armor, that it required four robotic legs to move it, yet it also had four upper arms that the Shredder could control freely. On his Utrom head, the Shredder wore his traditional helmet. Red lights glowed meticulously on the suit, as the Shredder the moved forward. _"It is 30 years overdo," _he growled. _"But I will finally put an end to your pathetic lives!"_

**_Show me how it ends; it's alright!_**

"_Shredder,"_ yelled Don. _"Your rein of terror is over!"_

"_Legions, attack!"_ cried Karai. Hundreds of Karai bots ran out and surrounded the turtles. _"Destroy them all!"_

"_For Master Splinter!" _screamed Don, as he unrolled the guns on his robot's back. He fired round after round, as he blew away the robots, leaving pieces of machinery spread out all over the palace floor.

Some of the bots were able to sneak around the guys and were about to cut up Don's robot, when two shots rang out from the tunneler, destroying the Karai bots. April leapt out with a bazooka, fired two more shots and joined the fight.

Right behind her, Hun and Stockman emerged. Hun rolled the wheelchair down the steps and looked around.

"_Hun, stop! What are you doing!" _shrieked Stockman. _"We're supposed to stay in the tunneler!"_

But Hun wasn't listening to Stockman. Spying his old employer, he rolled over to the Shredder and began to plead. _"Master! Please take me back!" _

"_What!" _roared the Shredder.

"_I'll serve you!" _pleaded Hun. _"Please…"_

Stockman tried once more to decipher what was going on. _"Hun, what are you doing?" _But his efforts were in vain.

The Shredder was no amused by Hun's pleas. _"Exterminating you two traitors will be an added bonus to today's great victory." _He lifted his huge robotic foot above the two former villains.

"_Aw, crud,"_ was all Hun could get out before the foot smashed down, squashing the two of them beneath it.

"_Hah!" _cheered the Shredder.

Meanwhile, Mike, Leo, and Raph were still surrounded by Karai bots. The three had their backs up against one another as Mike gave an exhausting cry, _"Come on! We gotta' buy Donnie a little more time. Keep the bots busy!"_

**_Show me how defenseless you really are…_**

The three reptiles leapt into the air and began to battle the Karai legion-bots. Mike jumped up and whacked a Karai bot twice on the head, causing it to stagger backward. He dodged a blow from it and wrapped his nunchuck around the bot's arm. He then flipped it over his back and readied himself for the next attack. Two bots came at him from behind, but he leapt over their swords. He knocked one with his foot, and then brought the other around in a roundhouse kick. The bot fell in a heap on the floor. Suddenly, the bots began to surround him, until he was blocked on all sides, cutting off any escape. Mike watched them raise their katanas and gave one last hopeful cry. _"Donnie! Donnie, I'm-" _But his voice was cut short as a plethora of blades came tumbling down upon him, cutting him in more places than one could count. _"Ah!"_

Don had been blasting more of the Karai robots when he heard his brother's scream. Turning, he watched horrified as his brother was slaughtered right before his eyes. _"Mikey, no!"_

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(Commercial)

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Don's cry echoed through the palace. The bots moved aside to reveal Mike's lifeless corpse. Suddenly overcome with rage, Don forced his robot to charge forward, smashing two Karai bots in the process. _"You'll pay for this Shredder!" _he yelled. _"If it's the last I do, you will pay!" _He brought his giant guns around and opened fire on the Shredder. He poured out round after round, screaming as he spilled empty shells onto the floor. _"Ahhh!"_

**_Satisfied and empty inside…_**

Smoke accumulated around the Shredder, until he was consumed within it. As Don's ammo went empty, he steadied himself against the quiet and stared into the dust.

As if on cue, two gruesome, clawed arms shot out of the thick smoke and grabbed Don's robot by the arms. The Shredder emerged, completely unharmed, and brought Don right up to his face. _"30 years, and this is all you have? Truly pathetic!" _He pulled Don's robotic arms off, allowing the turtle to crash to the ground with a thud. _"Disgusting creature!" _sneered the Shredder. He kicked Don like an old soda can, sending him flying across the room, until he landed at the base of the tunneler.

_**But that's alright; let's give this another try.**_

Leo had been fighting the Karai bots quite ferociously, but that hadn't stopped him from seeing Don get kicked across the room. _"Donnie!" _he cried. Two more Karai bots with swords ran towards him. He jumped over the first one's swipe and cut the second in half. He ducked another blow from the first and sliced it through the middle. Then, he heard a familiar voice coming towards him. He spun around to behold Karai approaching him fast in an attack. He gasped and staggered back, but didn't run. Instead, Leo locked swords with Karai as their duel begun in a standoff.

"_I beg you," _begun Karai. _"Leave this place or you will force me to do that which my duty commands."_

The two pulled their blades away from one another and began to swipe at each other. Karai attacked first and Leo was able to block it with his own katanna. He took his own jab at her, but she jumped out of the way. Karai attacked again, but Leo flipped, her sword's edge missing his head by only a few inches. The turtle was on his hands and spun his body around, using his exposed feet to give Karai a swift kick in the stomach. But she recovered too quickly and grabbed Leo's foot. She hurled him around and tossed him, sending him flying right through a glass case on the side of the room. Leo hit the wall and crumbled, but he wasn't done yet. _"Not this time Karai," _he staggered. _"This time you have to make a choice!" _Gathering up his last bit of strength, he rushed at Karai. He jumped over Karai's swipe, yelling, _"Once and for all!" _He grabbed a discarded robot arm and threw it at Karai. She blocked it with her sword, and went in for another attack. However, Leo was able to use the momentum of throwing the robot arm to spin around and plant a well-earned kick into Karai. He twirled the other way, trying to land a punch to his opponent, but Karai was too quick and dodged his attack. Leo spun yet again, trying in desperation to land either a kick or a punch to the female ninja, but every time, his attempts kept failing. Rushing Karai one last time, Leo was able to push her away and move around to her back. Anticipating an attack, Karai whirled around and tried to cut Leonardo with her sword. However, Leo was one step ahead of her. He ducked, and brought himself up under Karai. He grabbed her elongated arm and flipped her. She tumbled down hard on to the floor.

Walking over, Leo used his foot to fling his sword into the air, where he promptly caught it in his hand. _"I'm sorry Karai," _he begun. _"I never wanted it to be this way."_ He stopped at Karai's head and raised his sword, readying himself to deliver a finishing blow to the woman. Just as Leonardo had raised his katanna into the air, one last Karai bot snuck up behind him. In a flash, Leo whipped around, slicing the bot at an angle. The bot's top half fell on the floor, followed right after by its legs. Leo left his back exposed as he made sure the bot was truly destroyed. Seizing the opportunity, Karai took up her sword and snuck up behind Leo. In one devastating blow, she sliced right through Leo's shell, until she had hit the fragile tissue underneath.

Leo gasped. _"Ahh…uh…" _was all he could choke out. He dropped to his knees.

"_Forgive me, Leonardo," _was all Karai had to say.

Seeing his brother fall, Raph cried out. _"Leo! No!" _He charged Karai with eyes full of rage. Though he knocked her over, she pushed him on to her feet and kicked him, sending him through another glass case. Raph recovered, and grabbed a shard of glass from his spot inside the now shattered case. He hurled it at Karai and jumped, following the accelerating piece of glass. Karai deflected the glass with her katana and tried to slice Raph. But she had swung too early and Raphael was able to move to her side and deliver a stronger kick to the ninja, tossing her to the ground. Raph pulled into his caricature jump kick, but Karai pulled her sword up and swung at Raph. She was able to connect with him and send his body flying back. _"Ahhh!"_

Moaning and in pain, Raph staggered as he tried to rise to his feet. _"Oh…ah…"_ He glanced over and crawled slowly to Leo's sprawled out, yet dead body. _"Leo," _groaned Raph. _"Leo...uh…ah…"_ Raph tried to be strong, but his felt his strength suddenly drain from him. His hand fell across Leo's chest as his body gave out from underneath him. For the first time in 30 years, he felt at peace with his brother. Their feud finally ended as the red-clad turtle died at his brother's side.

Karai surveyed the damage she had done. Feeling a sudden pain of guilt, she turned as April's voice called her. _"Karai! End of the line."_ April was holding a bazooka that was bigger than her head on her shoulder. She started up the gun and took aim.

In a last ditch effort to defend herself, Karai twirled her sword and rushed at April. But the older woman was ready for her. She pulled the trigger and fired. Karai staggered back in fear as the missile connected with her body. It was a direct hit. Karai's body was flung backwards and landed in a heap on the floor. April walked forward to see how much damage she had done to the murderer.

Karai felt the life draining out of her body quickly. She tried to get up, but could only utter, _"Uh…master, I am finished."_ She was dead before her head hit the ground.

Don's robot was falling apart on him. One of his guns had fallen off and his robotic arms were gone. He hoped that this robot had enough fuel left in it as he slowly pulled is robot to its feet.

**_Show me how it ends; it's alright!_**

The Shredder laughed maniacally. _"Ha, ha, ha. You are the last of your kind Donatello." _Don glanced up at the tunneler, as the Shredder came closer to him. The Shredder approached him, and picked the turtle's robot up in his clawed hands. He brought Donatello's face right up to his Utrom body. He wanted to make sure that the turtle got a good look at his victorious face before he killed him. _"And now, I will crush you, like the insignificant worm that you are."_

**_Show me how defenseless you really are…_**

Don blinked as he stared into the Shredder's beady little eyes. _"You always did claim victory before you actually won," _he said. Don flipped a small latch open on the bottom of one of the handles of his robot. _"This whole attack was to get you into position to do THIS!" _With that, Don pushed the button that the latch was concealing. Grappling hooks shot out of the tunneler and wrapped themselves around the Shredder and Don's robot.

**_Satisfied and empty inside…_**

The Shredder gasped. _"What! What is happening?" _he cried. The tunneler suddenly clicked on as the hooks pulled the Shredder and Don towards the spinning point of the tunneler. _"No! I am the Shredder! Uh! I am the Shredder!" _But nothing the villain could scream could stop his exo-suit from getting closer to the tunneler. Don quickly squeezed himself out of his robot and landed beside the tunneler. The Shredder cried out again, as the tunneler's point began to drill into him. _"Ah! I am…ah!" _The drill found its mark as the Shredder was disintegrated in an instant.

**_But that's alright; let's give another try._**

The tunneler turned off, leaving an eerie silence over the palace. Don stood over the wreckage, catching what little breath he had left. He bore a face, not of victory, sadness, or guilt, but one of relief. _"It's done," _he finally whispered.

_**It's alright…**_

Close by, April dropped her gun. She hung her head low, until Don passed by her. She glanced up at the heartbroken turtle.

**_It's alright!_**

"_My brothers," _he wept. _"My poor brothers. This world, this future…it's a nightmare."_

**_It's alright!_**

"_It was a nightmare Don," _said April. _"But you, Leo, Raph, and Mikey, you gave us back our future."_

_**It's alright!**_

Don felt tears welling up in his eyes. His whole world had come crashing down around him and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. With the exception of April, his entire family was gone; he would never see them again, never hear their voices, and never feel the love and joy he once felt when he was around them.

He was about to start crying when a familiar tingling sensation filled his body. He watched as he started to faze in and out again and again, just like he had done in the park earlier. _"April!" _he cried. _"It's happening again! Something's pulling me away! It's stronger this time!"_

Fearing what may happen next, April gave Don once last piece of advice. _"Donnie, remember-there's always hope! No matter what!" _She watched as the turtles disappeared with a final cry for what could possibly be in store for him. Satisfied, she murmured, _"And, thank you."_

_**It's alright!**_

With the Shredder gone and the smoke clearing, the sun finally arose into the sky, shining brightly over a newly freed world; a world that at last had some hope for the future.

_**It's alright! It's alright! It's alright! It's alright…**_

THE END.

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Author's Note: So, what did you all think? Not bad huh? It's pretty sad though; nearly everyone dies. :( Please don't get mad at me. I didn't write the original script for this episode; I just allowed my words to flow through what was already present. Keep in mind, however, that this world isn't the reality that the turtles normally live in.It's another world that Don only had the pain, instead ofpleasure, of visiting.The numerous amount of character deaths only exists in this world, not the one we are used to.Also, remember thatthis story doesn't end here.The current TMNT TV series has yet to finish up, so the newest episodes should explain what becomes of our heroes.But still, Idid like this story, even if it took me hours to get it all typed up and proofread again and again. I had to got stop and rewind various portions of my tape hundreds of times to make sure that I had all the dialogue and action just right. I wanted to make sure that I had all the details correct, down to the very last sentence. Anyway, for those who have seen "Same as It Never Was," I hope that I did the episode justice, while putting my own little spin on things. And for those of you haven't, well, I know I gave the entire episode away, but you should still try and see if for yourself. Granted, watching the episode on TV doesn't have the song or my fabulous descriptions in it, but it's still worth the half hour of viewing time. (By the way, I have discovered that Cartoon Network will be repeating "Same as It Never Was" on April 12th for all of us viewers in America. I hope everyone tunes in if they get the chance!) Anyway, I pray that all my readers were both pleased and entertained by "So Cold." (The story, not the song.) Although, I do hope that the presence of Breaking Benjamin's song didn't throw anyone too far off. I thought it was a great addition to the story. It really added more detail to Donatello's experiences in his journey across time and space. Still, leave me some reviews and tell me what you guys thought of this. And if my homework isn't too time consuming, I will try and have the next chapter of "Away From Myself" up by the end of the week. Thank you all for taking the time to read this long story and hopefully leaving a review. I love to read the feedback; it's really appreciated. I can't wait to catch the second half of Leo's far world adventure, "The Real World: Part Two," on Saturday. As my favorite turtle, Leo's solo adventure with Usagi has become one of my all time mostfavorite episodes to watch. Unfortunately, as far as I know, this scheduling is only accurate in the U.S. I do not know when these mentioned episodes will be airing in other countries. Sorry! I pray that everyone has a great week and as always, GOD BLESS:)


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